“Did you know that the Texas Rangers have been around longer than Texas itself?” asked Audrey Ladd. “You can’t talk about Texas history without talking about the Rangers.”
Ladd knows all about this group. She works at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. That’s in Waco, Texas. The center tells the story of the Texas Rangers — a story that now spans 200 years!
Let’s flash back to the 1820s. Texas wasn’t a U.S. state yet. It was part of Mexico. In 1821, Stephen F. Austin brought 300 families to live there. Austin became known as the “Father of Texas.” But his settlers weren’t the first people in the area. Native Americans lived there for thousands of years. They fought to keep their homeland. They had clashes with the new settlers.
In 1823, Austin wanted more protection for his . He put together a group of men to act as rangers. The rangers patrolled the roads and lands on horses.
Power in Texas changed a lot over time. In 1836, Texas declared its from Mexico. Ten years later, it became a U.S. state. The Civil War happened in the 1860s. Texas joined southern states in the Confederacy. But when that group lost the war, Texas was back in the USA.
Through all these shifts, the Texas Rangers were there. They are still an official group today.
“Texas Rangers help protect the people of Texas,” Ladd told News-O-Matic. “Whenever someone has done something bad, the Rangers gather clues and figure out who did the crime,” she explained. “Texas Rangers are a lot like police officers.”
The Rangers have their own Texan flair though. “Rangers wear cowboy boots and a white cowboy hat,” Ladd shared. “I like that the way they dress shows off their history,” she added. “And I like that Rangers help people. The world can always use more helpers.”
The Rangers have also had an impact in pop culture and sports. TV shows such as The Lone Ranger and Walker, Texas Ranger were based on the group. And fans cheer on a pro baseball team called the Texas Rangers!
In 2023, there are events across Texas for the Rangers’ . People are looking back at the history. “From dirt roads and horses to highways and pickup trucks, the Texas Rangers have changed a lot,” Ladd said. “At the beginning, they guarded early Texans. Now, they are some of the best crime solvers in the world.”
“There have been good times and bad times throughout Ranger history,” the expert added. “But the Rangers always work to do better.”
Updated September 13, 2023, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Ashley Morgan
